Woolwich attack: suspect was a 'nasty' and 'aggressive' neighbour

A suspect in the killing of a British soldier in Woolwich has been described
today as a “nasty kid” who had once punched a young girl in the face.

A video of the suspect.

By Rosa Silverman and agencies

3:59PM BST 23 May 2013

Michael Adebolajo, 28, was said by a former neighbour to be “very aggressive”, but he was not remembered as a religious man.

Born in the south London borough of Lambeth and of Nigerian descent, he is believed to have been raised a Christian before becoming involved in Islam in his teens.

His parents, who reportedly feared he had become radicalised, moved him to a village in Lincolnshire.

He is known to have been a preacher on the streets of Woolwich and is understood to have run an occasional stall in the area, from which he distributed extremist literature condemning the involvement of British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After going to school in Romford, Essex, Adebolajo studied at the University of Greenwich and lived in two flats in the Greenwich area between 2004 and 2005.

A former neighbour in Romford recalled a “nasty kid” who 10 years ago had attacked a child who lived nearby.

The 68-year-old, who did not want to be named, said the girl's younger brother had come round in distress to say his sister had been attacked.

She said: “He said Michael had spat in her face and then punched her. I looked out the window and he was stood in his front garden in a rage.

“He was very aggressive. I would see him in the street and say a neighbourly 'hello', but he would just glare at you and suck his teeth.”

She believed his mother worked in healthcare and spent a lot of time outside London.

She added: “The father was never around much. It seemed the kids were on their own a lot.

“Michael would regularly have a large group of friends over and they would sit in the garage with music blaring. They would also bring in lots of beer.”

But a former friend of the suspect said he had no idea the Tottenham fan had become radicalised.

Graham Wells, 30, a window cleaner, knew Adebolajo as “Jay” and lived in the flat below the one the suspect shared with his sister in Romford.

He described him as a “lovely bloke who always had a smile on his face”.

Mr Wells, who last saw him a year ago, said: "I am surprised. Cutting a soldier’s head off in the middle of London is not really on.

"We used to go over to the park to play football. He was a Tottenham fan and played in midfield.

"I never had any inclination that he was getting radicalised. He used to be, like most men his age, smoking a bit of green. He never used to drink at all.

"He became a bit more within himself but every time we were together he was alright.”

He said Adebolajo was on the dole when he knew him but did not dress in religious clothing, preferring Nike trainers and tracksuits instead.

"He never expressed any opinion - no politics whatsoever,” he added.

"I think he might have been radicalised by the internet. He was the sort of person you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of because he was a big fellow, and you basically would not want to get involved."

Another former friend told the Evening Standard: "He started getting involved with Islam aged about 15 or 16, and that is why his parents moved him away out of the area. It is utterly shocking to see what he has done. It’s unbelievable."

He was reportedly known to Al Muhajiroun, the banned Islamist organisation, and went by the name of Mujahid.